A Lesson in Humility
No human being is immune from temptation. For some it is physical temptation. For others it is power and prestige. One thing that is common to all is the temptation of our ego. We always think we are special. We always think we are better than ‘that guy’ but we are often wrong.
Today is a great opportunity for a lesson in humility. Around a thousand years ago there was a debate among Christians which saint was the greatest. Each ‘camp’ argued for their candidate and even created ‘political parties’ to align themselves with ‘the’ greatest saint.
The three saints were Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. As the debate raged on, the Saints in heaven were distraught so they appeared to a pious monk. They were each equal in front of the Throne of God, they told him. They needed his help.
The saints asked this pious monk to create a special church service that honored each of the three rather than one over the other. The Feast is known as the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and continues to be celebrated to this day.
Today’s feast is more than just a group of saints. Today’s feast is their reminder to us to keep our ego in check. If we think we are special, today’s feast reminds us that we are all equally loved by God. If we think ‘our’ saint is the greatest, today’s feast reminds us they are equal too.
When the disciples were ‘caught’ worrying about which one was greater, Christ taught them too.
Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Luke 9.46-48
Instead of thinking of themselves are greatest, Christ taught the disciples to look at others as greater. There is always someone around you that is greater than you. Sure, there is also likely someone ‘lesser’ than you, but all of us are equal in front of God.
God has a way of ‘levelling the playing field’ when it comes to our ego. If we continue to focus on our ego long enough, we are bound to get ‘knocked down a notch’ by life. When we go with tears of self-pity God maybe we can remember our ego was to blame, not someone else.
